Will Smith has announced his first album in 20 years.
The actor and rapper, 56, revealed his fifth solo studio album will be called Based On A True Story, and marked the announcement with the release of a new song and alongside rapper Big Sean and OBanga.
Smith also shared a new track, called Beautiful Scars, accompanied by a music video inspired by 1999 blockbuster The Matrix – which he famously turned down the leading role in.
The video sees Smith presented with a red pill and a blue pill – a plot point the sci-fi is famous for – with the blue pill allowing him to continue his career and forget about The Matrix offer, and the red one letting him go back to star as Neo, the part eventually taken by Keanu Reeves.
Will Smith and Big Sean parody The Matrix in their new music video. Pic: COUGH
In the lyrics, he reflects how mistakes make a person stronger and how “beautiful scars” sustained through life should be embraced.
The actor has come under widespread scrutiny in recent years after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022.
Smith, who was presented with the best actor award for his performance in King Richard shortly after the incident, was subsequently banned from attending the Academy Awards for 10 years.
The Hollywood star apologised to Rock and largely stayed out of the spotlight afterwards.
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In 2024, he made a comeback in Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, the fourth instalment in the action comedy series in which he stars alongside Martin Lawrence.
He also marked his rap comeback with a performance at the BET Awards in Los Angeles.
While Smith has become synonymous with the big screen in the past few decades, it was through music that he initially rose to fame.
He started out in the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince alongside Jeff Townes in the 1980s, and the pair won the first rap Grammy in 1989, for Parents Just Don’t Understand.
They went on to record five hip-hop albums together, with hit songs including Summertime and Boom! Shake The Room.
Smith also moved to TV with comedy The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, in which Townes also had a recurring role.
As a solo artist, Smith released number-one tracks including Getting’ Jiggy Wit It and Wild Wild West, and won four Grammys.
